The ride of your life
by Kuldaboli
Summary: Crossover with Harry Potter: Clark and Chloe are accidentally thrust into a secret world, hidden within their own, that they never imagined existed and yet find themselves, for some reason, connected to it through Clark's grandfather and Chloe's mother.
1. Chapter 1

Okay... A little disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, in part or whole. I own nothing in relation to Harry Potter or Smallville. JK Rowling and... whoever produces the TV series Smallville... are the true owners of everything. Me? I'm just someone who enjoys writing, as well as enjoying both these fictional universes. So there you have it. I own nothing.

--------------------------------------------------

"I'm telling you, Clark, the way you're pining over Lana isn't healthy!" Chloe Sullivan stalked after the tall black haired young man as he stomped through the barn at the Kent farm, scowling and trying to look busy. "Yes, she's got a new boyfriend! It's not the end of the world!" At those words, Clark Kent stopped dead in his tracks and whirled around to face the petite blonde, who just managed to skid to a stop before plowing into him.

"He's not right for her!" Clark snarled, his jealousy coming off him clearly for the first time since finding out about Lana's new love interest. At the arched eyebrow, which was Chloe's response to that outburst, he immediately backtracked, looking down at the ground and closing his eyes. "Sorry…" He mumbled. "That was uncalled for."

"Yeah, a bit." Chloe nodded, a grin slowly spreading across her pretty face. "How did it feel?" Clark looked up at her, confusion edged in every line of his handsome face. "Letting it out? Blowing off a little of that steam that's been building up inside you for the past 3 weeks?"

"What steam?" Clark asked indignantly. Chloe rolled her eyes.

"Oh please!" She drawled. "Don't even try that one with me, Clark. I know you. You've been stomping around ever since finding out about Lana's new guy, brooding and piling up your resentment like a steam boat with a plugged up vent! Even the Queen of New Orleans would bust a few gaskets from all that pressure!" Clark looked to be about to retort. He opened his mouth, thought better of it, opened it again, and then clenched his jaw and whirled around, stomping along the barn, his mood even more sour than before.

"I don't brood!" He grumbled under his breath.

"No, you sulk." Chloe shot back. "Like a perturbed 5 year old." Clark stopped dead in his tracks and slowly turned to face Chloe. The blonde girl was standing there, her arms folded and her chin raised a bit in defiance, almost as if she was daring him to object to her last statement. Clark was in no mood for this.

"I've got a lot of work to do." He said in a level voice. "So if you don't mind…" He indicated the door with a slight movement of his head. Chloe narrowed her eyes at him. Damn him! Why the hell did he have to lock himself away like that?! Giving a little scoff of annoyance, she made for the door of the barn.

"What is it with you?!" She exclaimed as she stopped and whirled around to face him, throwing her hands in the air in frustration. "Why can't you accept the situation as it is?!"

"I'm not having this discussion with you, Chloe!" Clark grumbled and picked up a wooden crate, which had been nailed shut, as easily as if he were lifting a tennis ball, and moved across the barn with it.

"Oh, 'cause I wouldn't understand, is that it?!" Chloe shot back, stalking after him, her anger coming off of her in waves. She grabbed him by the arm and tugged, ignoring the fact that she may just as well have been trying to rotate the entire Chrysler building; if Clark didn't want to be moved, nothing short of a head on collision with a fully loaded super train at top speed would budge him. Clark let her spin him around to face her, growing tired of this whole thing. "I understand a lot better than you think, Clark Kent! You're wounded! You're hurt that she would choose someone else over you, because you've loved her from the very first moment you laid eyes on her!"

"Chloe…" Clark tried to inject, a tired tone to his voice.

"No!" Chloe cut him off savagely, her eyes sparkling uncharacteristically bright in the streaming sun through the barn's open door. "I'm not finished! You are going to stand there and listen to what I have to say, because it's important!" Clark didn't know what to think of this outburst from his best friend. To be quite honest, it unnerved him a little. He actually staggered back half a step from the onslaught of Chloe's intensity, his grip on the crate in his hand faltering from the shock. His fingers slipped and the crate fell to the floor, its wood cracking from the crate's weight. Chloe jumped in surprise at the sudden noise of something breaking. It sounded like there had been something fragile in that crate; the emphasis being on the past tense. Clark groaned as he stared down at the cracked crate. Spilling from the broken opening were several shards of broken plates.

"This will make me popular at the dinner table." He grumbled with a hint of sarcasm in his tone. Chloe bit her lip and flushed as she shrank back in on herself a bit.

"S- sorry…" She whispered, feeling horribly guilty. Clark crouched down and started examining the damage. The moment he moved the crate, more debris slid out of the crack, which was larger than it had initially looked. Clark heaved a tired sigh, knowing what would happen when his parents found out about this. He pinched the bridge of his nose, seeing the inevitable scene playing before his close eyes. Chloe bent down beside him, getting down on her knees to examine the damage. She winced at the sight. Some of the stuff that had broken and slipped out of the crack in the crate looked very old.

"That's my grandparents' stuff." Clark sighed as he looked back at the mess. "Or rather… that _was_ my grandparents' stuff." He picked up a piece of a broken plate and examined it before tossing it back in the rubble. "Great. Just perfect."

"Clark…?" Chloe's voice sounded strange to Clark's ears; bordering on a mix of curiosity, apprehension, and even a hint of fear. Clark looked over at his friend, only to see her staring down into the rubble with wide eyes. "What's… _that_?" She asked hesitantly. Clark followed her gaze to the mess of broken crockery and saw something lying underneath the strewn pile. It looked like a framed picture, only… He blinked and took another look at it. Did something in the picture just _move_?! "Did you see that?!" Chloe exclaimed, grabbing his shoulder and pointing at the picture with her free hand. "Something moved! There; in the picture!" Clark nodded slowly, staring at the picture. There was indeed something moving in it. He reached out and cleared the rubble away from the framed photo, careful not to touch it. Who knows what this could be. It could be something meteor related. And if so, there was no way he was touching that frame till he knew exactly what they were dealing with. When the framed photo was revealed, Clark's eyes went wide at what he saw; and beside him, Chloe gasped and clasped her hand over her mouth in shock.

The framed photograph showed a small group of people… and yes, they were all moving! There was a tall, kind looking older man, with very long silver hair and beard, who was smiling warmly and standing next to an older and slightly stern looking woman who was giving a small smile as well. Both of them were standing behind a pair of beaming girls in their pre-teens who were both holding a plaque of some sort before their chests and showing them off to the camera; almost like an award. Even more peculiar, was the way the group were dressed. The older man and woman wore dignified ornate robes and pointy hats on their heads; almost as if they were a wizard and a witch, and the girls wore matching black robes over school uniforms of a white blouse, a grey sweater vest, a plaited skirt, white knee high socks, and black Mary Jane shoes. Beside the older man, stood a tall handsome man, who looked to be in his late 30's, with sandy blond hair and rugged features, and wearing black robes over his suit. Clark's eyes were fixed on this man. He knew him! The likeness this man displayed to his own father was uncanny!

"Chloe…? That's my grandfather…" Clark whispered, staring at the moving image of the man. "I know it is… Look. He looks exactly like my dad…" The lack of feedback from Chloe at this revelation struck an odd cord within Clark. "Chloe…?" He said as he turned his head to look at his friend. Chloe's face was white as chalk as she stared at the photo, her eyes wide with shock. "Chloe? Are you okay?" The blonde girl slowly removed her hand from her mouth… her lips were trembling as she stared at the photo.

"M- mom…?" She finally managed to whisper. Clark frowned in confusion and looked down at the photo again. His eyes fixed on one of the girls in the front; a beaming blond haired beauty who… Clark's jaw sagged in shock. Images of the first time he'd met Chloe back in the 8th grade came flooding back to him; the way the ends of her shortish blond hair had stuck up at odd angles, her brilliantly sparkling eyes… and the smile! He would never forget that beaming smile as long as he lived. And here he was, looking at a photo… a very strange, moving photo… and he was seeing that exact smile on another girl; a girl that looked remarkably like Chloe, down to the strange sticking up ends of her blond hair.

"Nononononono…!" Clark hurried out of his mouth as he grabbed Chloe's hand, who was reaching for the framed photo on the barn floor, stopping her from touching it. "We don't know what this is. It could be something meteor related and…"

"That's my mom, Clark!" Chloe cried out, her breathing ragged. She yanked her hand out of Clark's grip and quickly reached out for the picture again. Clark grabbed her hand again, keeping her from reaching it. "Let go!" She snapped and tried to yank her hand out of his grip. "I want to see it!" When Clark's grip didn't budge, Chloe reached for the frame with her other hand. Clark caught the movement a fraction too late and just as Chloe's fingers curled around the frame to grab it in a firm grip, Clark's hand shot out at super speed and grabbed the other end of the frame at the exact same time as Chloe's hand made contact.

It felt as if the world had just been lurched to the side. Both Chloe and Clark felt a sharp tugging sensation behind their bellybutton and as Clark cried out in shock and Chloe screamed in terror, the ground was yanked away from under their feet and they were left weightless, their hands fixed tight on the framed picture, as if they'd been glued on with super glue, and everything around them hurtled past them in a blur of white and grey at a speed usually reserved for spaceships on Star Trek. It was as if they were being hurled through space.

"STOP!!!" Chloe screamed, her terror coming through loud and clear in that one word. Clark looked at her and saw her face, tear streaked and scared. She looked at him and there was so much fear in her bright green eyes. "STOP IT!!!" She whaled. "LAND!!!" It registered in Clark's brain that she thought _he_ was doing this; that _he_ was flying off with her to scare her out of wanting to see that photo.

"IT'S… NOT… ME!!!" He managed to yell over the rush of wind that tore at them as they hurtled through… well, whatever it was; he had no idea. "I'M NOT DOING ANYTHING!!!" The impact of his words showed on Chloe's face. Her fear multiplied a hundred fold. She could see the truth of his words in his eyes. He'd never been able to lie to her. Even when he was protecting the secret of his powers and his not-of-this-earth-ness from her, he'd never been able to fully pull of the little white lies he'd told her. Clark wasn't doing this! He wasn't in control of this little joyride! All of a sudden, there was a flash of light that temporarily blinded them, and the next instant, Chloe and Clark hit the ground rather hard.

"Chloe?!" Clark called out in panic, jumping to his feet as fast as his super human speed would allow him, and scanning the area for her.

"Clark!!" Chloe's terrified yell of his name made him whirl around to find her trying to stagger to her feet behind him. He was instantly at her side, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug. Chloe clung onto him for dear life, literally shaking in his arms.

"Are you okay?" His voice trembled a little as he whispered these words to her. Chloe managed a little sound in the back of her throat like she was trying to stifle a sob and nodded vigorously. Clark pulled back and cupped her face in both his large hands, looking at her intently. "Are you sure?" He asked her, his worry for her evident. Chloe's tear streaked face felt warm in his hands. Chloe bit her lip and sniffled, nodding again. Yeah, she was alright; physically, at least. Mentally, though… That was another matter altogether. She hadn't been this scared since the last time some meteor freak had made it their mission to kill her in the goriest way imaginable. And even that paled in comparison to this! Clark brought her into his arms again, holding her tight as he let out a shaking breath of relief. Chloe sniffled again, her fear subsiding as the feeling of security and comfort took over. It felt good being held by him. She could stay like this forever. Just wrapped up in his arms; his firm and fit body pressed up against her… "Uh… Chloe…?" Clark's confused voice shattered the moment, dragging her kicking and screaming back to reality. She resisted the urge to groan in frustration. "Where are we?" This question of Clark's brought Chloe back to full state of alertness in an instant. She disentangled herself from his arms, much to the bratty part of her self's displeasure, and looked around.

Wherever they were, it was definitely 'not' the Kent farm! The place had somewhat of a forbidding air to it. There were high trees all around them, with trunks as thick as a house and huge canopies that reached high up into the sky, blocking out much of any kind of light; making it a rather dark and ominous looking place. There was a layer of mist slithering along the ground… And then there was the quiet; the overwhelming lack of sound that seemed to permeate the entire place, and adding to the overall sense of danger that this place radiated.

"Okay…" Clark mused carefully as he looked around. "Weird factor 8?"

"At least." Chloe replied quietly, her eyes taking in as much as she could of this ominous place at once. "Okay… Not to sound all cheesy or nothing but… I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Clark." Chloe added. She wasn't trying to be funny. This was her way of dealing with the fact that they had just gone through something that was so far off the weird-o meter that it wasn't even remotely funny.

"No kidding." Clark replied, running a hand down one of the trees. "There are no forests like this anywhere near Smallville as far as I…"

"OI!!!" Came a deep booming bark off behind them, cutting off Clark's words. Both of them jumped with a gasp, startled out of their minds, and whirled around to see who was there. A great big shadow stood at the base of one of the massive trees. It looked like a hulking figure of some sort. It started moving, advancing toward them on two massive legs, its stride determined and quick. "Wha'the ruddy 'ell're you two doin'in'ere?!" The barking voice came again. It was coming from the massive form that was advancing on them. There was an accent to it that Clark couldn't place, but he moved closer to Chloe, maneuvering himself slightly in front of her in case this thing… whatever it was… got violent. The hulking form stepped into to a dim light and stopped dead in its tracks. It was a man! A great big hulk of a man! Clark would have guessed his height at around 8 to 10 feet tall! There was a mass of coarse dark hair on his head, so long that it ran down passed his shoulders and down his back, and most of his face was obscured by a tangled equally coarse beard that reached almost down to his belt. What little that was visible of his face showed rugged skin and two beetle black eyes that were scrutinizing the two of them. He had hands the size of trashcan lids and his feet were so big that he could have crushed a small to medium sized dog with one stomp. He was wearing some sort of skin overcoat, but even so, Clark could see that his frame was so big and massive that he looked to be made almost entirely out of muscle. This was definitely no ordinary man!

"_Definitely_ not in Kansas anymore…!" Squeaked Chloe, in a trembling voice, from behind Clark; clutching onto his jacket.


	2. Chapter 2

The hulking man scrutinized them for a moment, his beetle black eyes narrowing in suspicion as he stared at them. Clark couldn't help the hard swallow or the slight vacillating he did as he got ready for whatever this man might do. He had never seen a man _that_ massive before, and he'd encountered his fair share of weirdness, what with all the meteor freaks he'd had to take down. Behind him he heard Chloe's fast breathing hitch as she tried to keep from panicking; though, judging by the firm and slightly trembling grip she had on his jacket; that was obviously a chore for her.

"Who are ye'?" The hulking man asked slowly, his voice, although still rough, sounded more suspicious now than angry. Clark blinked in surprise. Wait… he wanted to _talk_?! The man towered over him and looked big enough to crush Clark's head with a single squeeze of his mighty hand… and he wanted to _talk_?! If this was a meteor freak, it was a very odd one.

"Sir…" Clark was trying to think of things to say to distract this behemoth of a man; and he wasn't doing a very good job of it. "We… we don't want any trouble…"

"Good t'know. Still doesn't answer me question, does it?" The man retorted in his rough voice, his eyes boring into Clark.

"Oh… okay… uhm…" Clark was getting kind of nervous. He may have his powers and all that but… he had no idea what kind of powers this giant of a man had. Still, it was obviously strength based, if the size of him was any indication. "W- well… I'm Clark and this…" He indicated behind him where Chloe was almost pressed up against his back, all but trembling in fear. "This is Chloe."

"Haven't seen ye' two'round'ere before. A li'll' old fer students, aren't ye'?" The massive man growled.

"S- students…?" Came Chloe's small voice from behind Clark. She was staring up at the massive man with abject fear. Still, a flame of curiosity burned in her green eyes. The man's gaze flicked over to her and she let out a little gasp, clutching tighter on to Clark's jacket. At the sight of her reaction, something seemed to change in the man's demeanor. He blinked a few times as he watched her, and his imposing presence seemed to pull back a bit.

"Look…" Clark began in what he thought was a calm, yet decisive voice. The man's gaze flicked over to Clark again, and he had a feeling like he was being sized up. "We… We just got here, and… well, we don't even know where _here_ is." The man tilted his head a bit as he stared at Clark, a slight curiosity coming alive in his suspicious gaze.

"How did ye' get'ere?" The man asked, the curiosity confirmed by the tone of his gruff voice.

"Uh… Well…" Clark stammered, wincing a bit as he stared up at the massive figure before him. How could he explain something like he and Chloe just went through without sounding completely off his rocker? "You probably won't believe this but…"

"A framed photograph." Came Chloe's small voice from behind Clark. The man's gaze flicked to her again, and again she gave a little gasp. Chloe Sullivan was typically not a girl that scared easily, but the sheer size of this man sent a shiver of pure fear down her spine every time he glanced her way. Still… the way he was looking at her now… it was like his eyes had lost that piercing gaze; as if they'd softened somehow. Chloe bit her lip and decided to take a chance. "W- we found it… in a box of old stuff that belonged to his grandparents…" She indicated Clark with a flick of her eyes in his direction. The man's gaze followed hers, flicking toward Clark for a moment before settling back on Chloe. "And when we touched it… it… kind of brought us… here…" Chloe bit her lip again, looking up at the giant of a man, hoping that her explanation didn't sound too outrageous.

"Grabbed a portkey, did ye'?" The man's eyes narrowed ominously as he stared at Chloe, making her shrink back a little.

"A what?" Clark asked as he moved a little closer to Chloe, not liking the way the man was looking at her. The giant frowned at the question, confusion evident in his beetle black eyes.

"A portkey. It's how you got here, isn't it?" The man replied. At the uncomprehending look on Clark's face, the man blinked. "A portkey!" He repeated, a little louder and clearer this time, as if they simply hadn't heard him clearly enough the first time around. "A thing, that you grab on to and then it speeds you off to where ever it's been charmed to go." He was emphasizing his words with haphazard hand gestures.

"S-so…" Chloe began carefully. "That picture we touched… it was one of these… uhm, _portk__eys_?" She felt like such a fool asking such a silly question. "And when you say… _charmed_…?"

"Charmed." The man repeated, seemingly thunderstruck at the idea that they didn't seem to know what he was talking about. "Ye' know; made magical." Chloe and Clark gaped at the large man.

"D- did you just say magical?" Chloe spluttered.

"Wait, there's no such thing as magic!" Clark exclaimed, equally as blown away.

"No such thing as magic?!" The man guffawed in apparent outrage. "How do ye' think ye' came to be here at the edge of the forbidden forest? Ye' didn't walk'ere, did ye'?"

"W- well… no…" Chloe winced at how small her voice sounded. "It was that framed photo, it… it was kind of… weird… the people in it were… uhm…" She winced again, felling stupid for what she was about to say. "M- moving…" She finished lamely. The big man let out a snort at that.

"What's so weird about tha', ey?" He asked, looking like he was resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "I'd find it weird the people _didn't_ move around in photographs." Chloe stared at the huge man in shock.

"Y- you would…?" Chloe stammered, looking absolutely thunderstruck; her fear of the man now completely forgotten.

"Yeah." The man chuckled. "They'd be bored stiff if they couldn't move around, wouldn't they?" Clark gave his head a sharp shake.

"Wait a minute… hold it…!" He held up his hands as if to indicate that they should all just settle down. His mind was buzzing with all that had been said. Portkeys… whatever the hell that was, charms, magic, people moving around in photographs so they don't get bored! And it was a perfectly natural thing!! "This is… This is just too much; okay? What… how… where are we; the Land of Oz?!" The large man blinked a few times, staring at Clark like he'd just grown a second head. Then his eyes got huge as something seemed to dawn on him.

"Oohhhhh… Blimey…" He breathed in apparent realization. "Ye're not form'round'ere at all, are ye'?"

"Uh… N- no…?" Chloe ventured, not really sure what the man's response to that statement would be.

"Ye're muggles. Aren't ye'?" The man added.

"What?" Clark blinked in confusion, the muggle phrase going right over his head.

"Muggles. Non magic folk." The man explained, seemingly getting a little excited as he spoke. Chloe and Clark looked at each other in confusion.

"Well… I've got a really neat card trick I can do." Clark injected with a little wince of embarrassment.

"I can make a quarter disappear." Chloe added, raising her hand a tiny bit, like a schoolgirl that's too shy to answer a teacher's question in front of the whole class.

"Nah." The large man waved a massive hand dismissively. "That's muggle magic. Not the real kind." For some reason, the large man didn't look as ominous as he had a minute ago. "But what're ye' doing _here_, in the forest?"

"It was that picture we told you about." Chloe replied. "The one you said was one of those… _key_… things…"

"Oh! That's right!" The man slapped his forehead with one massive hand. Clark half expected the man to knock himself out cold. "The picture! Where is it?" He looked at the two of them expectantly.

"Uh…" Chloe looked around, trying to find it. She had completely forgotten to look around for it to see where it had fallen after they'd landed here. Clark looked around, not seeing it either. Checking to see if the massive man's attention wasn't elsewhere, which, thankfully, it was, Clark slipped into x-ray mode, scanning the base of the trees and their roots. This forest was off; way off! His x-ray vision, though able to penetrate the trees, couldn't get a clear picture of anything more than 20 feet away from him. It was like watching a TV whose antenna was out of whack. And the mist slithering all over the ground was weird too. His x-ray vision couldn't penetrate it at all. Still, despite the forest playing tricks on it, Clark's x-ray vision did prove affective.

"Right there." Clark supplied, pointing toward the roots of one of the huge trees that surrounded them, and sure enough, there, lying on the ground next to a protruding root, laid the framed photograph. The big man spotted it and hurried over to it, surprisingly light on his feet for such a massive frame.

"WaitDon'tTouchIt…!" Chloe hurried the warning out of her mouth as the large man crouched down and reached for the framed photograph, but he had already picked it up. Clark winced, expecting the same thing to happen to the large man as had happened to him and Chloe when they'd touched the frame… but to his astonishment, nothing happened. The large man just stayed there, down on one knee, examining the photo within the frame. Clark couldn't be sure, but he could swear he saw the man's great beard twitch a bit, as if he were smiling. Chloe moved up beside Clark and stared at the massive man as he wiped some dirt off of the glass covering the photo. His movements were surprisingly gentle for such a large bulk of a man.

"I remember when this was taken." Then man said softly, still gazing fondly down at the picture. "Professor Dumbledore was so proud that day."

"Who?" Chloe asked, frowning in confusion. The large man did not look up.

"Professor Dumbledore. He's the headmaster up at the school." There was a sound like a deep chuckle from the massive man. "But of course, ye' wouldn't know anything about that, would ye'?" Clark and Chloe looked at each other, confusion evident in both their faces. "I think ye' need to go see'im." The big man was nodding as if agreeing with his own words. "I think he'd like to meet the pair o'ye'."

"What makes you say that?" Clark asked, a note of wariness creeping into his voice. The big man turned his head to look at Clark, then his gaze flicked over to Chloe… and his eyes twinkled as he smiled at her from across the distance that separated them.

"I knew ye' reminded me o'someone." He said fondly, still gazing at her. "Just couldn't wrap me'ead around who that might be." Chloe blinked, staring at the man in bewilderment. The man rose to his feet and moved slowly toward them, the picture held gently in his hands. He stopped a few feet away from them and nodded. "I think Professor Dumbledore should meet ye'. And, before ye' ask… that's him right there." He showed them the framed photo, indicating the older man in it; the one with the long silver beard and hair, and the pointed hat on his head. "Greatest headmaster Hogwarts has ever had."

"Hogwarts?" Clark asked.

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." The man explained with a smile. "And I'm the gamekeeper." The man straightened up, puffing out his chest importantly. "Rubeus Hagrid's the name; keeper of keys and grounds."

"Wait a minute…" Chloe injected, shaking her head and holding her hands up slightly, almost as if she thought she could slow the world down simply by doing this. "There's a school of magic?"

"Course there is." The big man chuckled. "How do you think all the young'uns learn the craft?"

"Young ones?" For some reason, Clark was envisioning young tiny goblin like creatures with claw-like hands shooting lightning out of their palms.

"Up and coming wizards and witches." The big man beamed. "This is the best place for them to learn." Clark and Chloe looked around, looking very skeptical.

"Here?" Chloe asked, sounding dubious.

"Blimey, no. Not _here_ here." The big man laughed. "Just over there beyond those trees behind ye'." He indicated the direction with his hand and then started moving in that direction. "Come along now. I know an old wizard who's going to be very happy to meet ye'." He finished in a cheery voice as he strode past them. Clark and Chloe looked at each other for a moment. "Budge along, ye' two. Try to keep up." The big man called over his shoulders as he moved along the forest floor in long strides. "Believe me, ye' don't want to be in'ere on ye'r own after dark." Clark and Chloe looked around. The forest looked very ominous and dark. Almost as if it were alive and watching them with hungry eyes.

"You know… he's probably right." Clark injected.

"Yeah, let's go." Chloe quickly agreed and hurried after the big man, Clark hot on her heels. They caught up with Hagrid after a while; having had to stumble over several large roots which Hagrid simply stepped over with apparent ease.

"So… Mr. Hagrid…" Clark started, but the man let out a chuckle.

"People just call me Hagrid." He corrected Clark, smiling. "All that Mr. this and that's not fer me. Doesn't sound right."

"Alright…" Clark grinned. "Hagrid…" He was beginning to like the big guy. He seemed genuinely nice. "Where exactly are we? I know you said we're at this… school place… Warthogs?"

"Hogwarts." Hagrid corrected him.

"Right…" Clark replied rather sheepishly. "But _where_ exactly is that? World wise, that is." Hagrid looked to be pondering the question for a moment.

"Great Britain." He finally said, nodding in a self satisfied kind of way. Chloe stopped dead in her tracks.

"What?!" She exclaimed, staring at Hagrid, completely thunderstruck. "Great Britain?! As in England?!" Hagrid stopped and stared at her in bewilderment. Chloe turned her shocked gaze to her equally shocked best friend. "Clark…" She squeaked. "We're across the Atlantic! We went from Kansas to England in 4 seconds!"

"felt more like 6 seconds…" Clark replied lamely, his shock to great for intelligent speech.

"I don't care!!" Chloe cried out, then started pacing, running her hands through her hair. "This is bad." She muttered. "Very… very… This is so bad; it blows the weird factor meter to kingdom come! How are we going to get back?!"

"Alright alright, just calm down." Hagrid tried to ease the pacing blonde girl.

"Calm down?!" Chloe raged on, her panic breaking through. "We're an entire ocean plus half a continent away from our home, with no apparent way to get back, and you want me to calm down?!"

"It's alright, Chloe." Hagrid said soothingly, his eyes twinkling with as his beard twitched, indicating a smile.

"No it's not!!" Chloe cried out, her renowned reporter's cool evaporating before Clark's eyes. "It is not alright!!" Hagrid moved closer and before Clark could wrap his mind around what he was doing, the large man had gotten down on one knee before Chloe and grabbed her shoulders, giving her a tiny shake; which in reality would have rattled an apple tree enough to strip it of all its fruit… not to mention all its leaves; and a branch or two.

"Calm down!" Hagrid barked, stunning Chloe into silence. The blonde girl stood there, gazing tearfully up into Hagrid's eyes, her petite body all but trembling from the shocking realization of where they were. Hagrid's gaze was soft and consoling as he watched Chloe, whimpering in front of him. He felt for her, he really did. She must be so scared. "It'll be alright, Chloe." Hagrid said softly. "Professor Dumbledore will find a way to send ye' both back. Ye'll see." He gave a smile and Chloe couldn't help but return it. She didn't know how this… Dumbledore character was going to send them back, but something in Hagrid's eyes told her that _he_ believed it possible. He believed it with all his might. Such faith was hard to find nowadays. And that set her mind at ease; if only a little bit. Clark stood off to the side, watching the scene before him, amazed that this giant of a man, as rough and imposing as he was, could be this gentle and kind. This was definitely no ordinary man. One of Hagrid's massive hands reached for Chloe's face and her gently wiped her tears away. "There we go." Hagrid said softly. "All better, now." His tone was so gentle that Chloe couldn't hold in a burst of a giggle. For such a big man, Hagrid was a real teddy bear. "Wha'd'ye' say we go up to the castle and see Professor Dumbledore, ey? So he can get to work on sendin'ye' home." Chloe blinked at Hagrid as yet another piece of info was revealed.

"Castle…?" She squeaked. Hagrid smiled and gave her a little wink.

"Come on." He jerked his head in the direction they'd been heading in and got to his feet, turning and heading in that very direction. Chloe looked at Clark in confusion and Clark gave a shrug, equally confused. Putting his arm around Chloe's shoulders, Clark led her on in the direction that Hagrid was striding. They followed Hagrid for a minute more and then, all of a sudden, the forest just… ended. One second they were in the dark dreary forest, the ominous trees looming over them like hungry gargoyles ready to pounce on them; and the next, they stepped out into a bright sunlit day. They raised their hands to shield their eyes as the bright hot sun streamed down upon them, blinding them for a moment. When they removed their hands and took a look around… they both gaped in wonder.

They were standing just outside a huge forest, which they'd just come out of, and in front of them, perched on top of a majestic rocky cliff, was a huge castle! It looked to have been cut right out of the middle ages; its multiple turrets reaching high into the sky, and its bright surface shimmering in the sun! It was a breathtaking sight! Flags were mounted on every turret, bearing crests that neither Chloe nor Clark had ever seen. It was as if they had stepped into a fairytale. All around the majestic structure, nature was at its very best; fields of wild flowers, rocky cliffs, wildlife unlike either of them were used to, and perched right beneath the rocky cliff where the castle stood was a huge lake that shone brightly as the sun's rays danced on its tiny ripples.

"Oh my god…" Chloe breathed in shock. She had never seen a more majestic and magnificent place.

"Clark, Chloe; Welcome to Hogwarts." Hagrid beamed, sweeping his hand to indicate the whole scene before them.

"The word "wow" doesn't even begin to apply here…" Clark whispered, awestruck by the sight.


	3. A small interlude

Hey everybody. Sorry about the long silence. I'd planned to update much earlier but real life kind of got in the way. Anywho... this is a little insert as a way for me to explain a few things in regards to the story...

First of all, I'd like to thank everyone for their reviews. I really appreciate all of them. Thank you ever so much. :-)

I've gotten a few questions about when in the timeline of the two universes this little tale of mine takes place, and… well… to be completely honest... I hadn't really given it much thought until people brought it up. **lol** As it were, I started wondering what would be the best time for this story to take place and finally managed to reach a conclusion. The most appropriate point in time in regards to the Harry Potter universe that I foresee this story taking place in would be somewhere in book 6 (The Half Blood Prince). I like the way the gangs' lives are sort of up in the air in that book. Teenage angst and drama is at its peak and it's a kind of chaotic time in their lives. (Got to love hormones! **lol**) In the Smallville timeline I think the most appropriate time for this story to occur is season 5. Lex and Lana are just getting closer (so that kind of answers the new boyfriend question **lol**) and as for the full extent of Clark's powers... well, that's anyone's guess, really. ;-) I must admit, though, that I haven't seen the entire 5th season, and I'm still unsure on some of the other "rules" that have been brought up in previous episodes. The availability of Smallville episodes is a little limited around these parts, so I hope you will bear with me if I make a few faux-pas while writing. **lol** And if I do, then please, feel free to steer me in the right direction and I will make the necessary adjustments. :-)

I got a comment regarding Chloe's reaction to finding out about where in the world they'd just wound up in, thank you for that, by the way. :-) As for her freaking out upon the realization, my only reason for putting it in there is pure shock on her part. Despite knowing that your friend has the ability to get you back home… even if he has to find a way to cross an entire ocean to do it… (I did hear that in season 7, Clark mentions not being able to actively fly, even though his cousin, Kara, can) finding out that you just got hurled over 6000 miles in 4 second, give or take, (that's somewhere around 9600 kilometers for us European/Canadian types **lol**) simply by placing your hand on a simple picture frame, will freak anyone out. Logic and reasonable lines of thinking tend to take a back seat when hit with something like that, I'm sure. **lol** So that was the reason I put the reaction in there. I kind of put myself in her shoes and figured "Okay… I just got this little piece of news thrown in my face… What would I do? Well… I just realized that I just got hurled across the Atlantic at Warp factor 9! So, please excuse me, but I'm going to freak out, thank you very much! I don't care if my best friend is Superman! Or… will be… in the future…" **lol** It was an excellent point to make, though, and I thank you for the observation. :-)

See? I like this. All these questions and pointers make me think about what I'm doing. I like that. :-)

Again, I'd like to thank you all for the reviews. I value them greatly and ask that if you have any more questions or comments to please post them to me through the review board so that this story can evolve into more than it is already. Your help is greatly appreciated. :-)

Now… On with the story…!

Kuldaboli.


	4. Chapter 3

"Well?" Hagrid was literally beaming as he watched Chloe and Clark's awestruck faces. "Wha'd'ye' think o'her? A real beauty, isn't she?" He turned back to watch the majestic castle, shining in the bright warm sun.

"Pinch me…" Chloe whispered, her gaze, filled with awe and wonder, locked on the incredible vision before her. "I think I'm dreaming…" Almost as if on autopilot, Clark robotically reached over, his own awestruck gaze still locked on the castle, and pinched Chloe's upper arm. "Ow!!" Chloe yelped, jumping at the pain. "That hurt!" She complained, swatting Clark hard on the arm.

"Huh?" Clark came back to the world of reality and turned his head to look at Chloe in confusion. "What was that?"

"I said, th…" Chloe started off a bit louder, but broke off her own words with a frustrated sigh. "Nevermind." She grumbled, rubbing her upper arm where Clark had pinched her. It didn't really hurt too bad now. It had been more of a shock then anything really painful.

"Come along, ye' two." Hagrid said jovially, waving his hand for them to follow him. "Can't stand around all day. Got to meet the headmaster, haven't ye'?" He started off toward the castle and Clark and Chloe hurried to follow his long strides.

"Hagrid…" Chloe started carefully. "This is real, right? I mean… we're not just seeing some… optical illusion, are we?" Hagrid stopped and stared at Chloe, bewilderment in his eyes. Then he looked over at the castle and stroked his beard.

"Well, always felt real enough when I've gone inn'ere…" He mused and picked up, what he obviously considered a small pebble, and threw it toward the castle. It was a rather long distance to throw a rock, especially one the size of Clark's whole foot, but it looked like Hagrid wasn't putting any more strength into throwing it than if Chloe were throwing her purse down on the couch. The rock landed on the smooth stone wall with a loud clatter, ricocheting off the stone and rolling down the hill; passing just to the left of them. "Yup!" Hagrid beamed. "It's real alright." He winked back at the pair of them, clearly pleased with his own joke, and then started up toward the castle again. Chloe and Clark looked at each other and grinned.

"It's real." Chloe giggled.

"After you, m'lady." Clark made a sweeping motion with his hand toward the castle and gave a small bow.

"Why thank you, kind sir." Chloe replied in a mock high pitched girly voice, and gave a little curtsy, before heading off after Hagrid; curiosity and excitement burning in her sparkling green eyes. Clark chuckled and watched his best friend jog up after the big man. Her blonde hair was shining in the sunlight and it seemed like now, after her fear and shock had all but dissipated, she was back in her element. The curious reporter was sliding back into its proper place. Trust Chloe to go from panicking about how they were to get back home, to being curious about the place where they'd landed, in less than a minute.

"So what do they teach here at this school?" Chloe asked just as Clark caught up with them.

"Everything young wizards and witches need to know for them to become fully fledged members of our world." Hagrid said jovially as he marched on toward a large open gate that Clark was sure had to be the main entrance.

"Such as…?" Chloe prompted.

"Well, ye've got ye'r transfiguration, ye'r charms, potions, oh! And defense against the dark arts." Hagrid replied. "I know a couple o'students here who are real naturals at that subject. Try and curse'em, and they'll rip ye'r wand right out o'ye'r'and from all the way down the hall. Harry taught'em to do that. Really good bloke, Harry; honest and true. Don't find many like'im nowadays." Hagrid was beaming with pride. Whoever this Harry was, it was obvious that Hagrid thought very highly of him.

"Dark arts?" Chloe's eyebrows shot up to her hairline.

"Yeah. Curses and jinxes and such stuff." Hagrid clarified.

"You mean, like, black magic?" Clark ventured carefully. Hagrid shook his head.

"I think Professor Dumbledore said that it's not exactly the same." Hagrid sounded a little thoughtful as he walked on. "He'll be able to explain it all better." He then shook his head again, looking grave. "Alls I know is that ye' want t'stay away from the dark arts. Really dangerous stuff, that. I never really understood why people want t'make up spells just t'hurt other people. Seems like a ruddy rotten thing t'do, if ye' ask me."

"And this… Harry…" Chloe opted for a change in subject. "He's a teacher here?" Hagrid grinned, a deep chuckle emanating from his throat.

"He was; in a manner of speaking." He said and gave Chloe a wink just as they passed through the main gates of the castle's courtyard. The main courtyard was huge! There were statues strewn around and a great big fountain in the middle. Great stone pillars held up the doming walkways to the sides of the courtyard and the entire ground was laid in expertly lain cobble stone; hewn to perfection. There were people milling around the courtyard. Some just standing around, talking; others sitting on the stone benches around the fountain and along the edges of the courtyard, either talking together or reading. All of them were wearing the same style of black robes over their uniforms, each emblazoned with a crest on the left side of the chest. No one in the courtyard looked a day older than 17 years old. Clark and Chloe's arrival into the courtyard did not go unnoticed. No sooner had they set foot on the cobblestone laid ground, than people's heads popped up from books or whirled around, placing conversations on hold for the time being. Oh yeah! This trio of strangers had people's attention, alright. Not only due to the sheer size of Hagrid, but also because he appeared to be accompanied by two strangers. Every head in the courtyard turned toward them, boys and girls alike. Clark looked around, feeling a little uncomfortable under everybody's scrutiny. Chloe, however, obviously had no such qualms. Either that, or she was completely oblivious to the attention their arrival had attracted.

"So I take it you do your research on the net, right?" She was asking Hagrid as she hurried along beside him, taking three steps for each one of his.

"Ey?" Hagrid looked down to her as he walked, looking thoroughly confused.

"The internet." Chloe clarified. "I mean, you must have some serious hook up for a place this size." She gazed up at the castle again, marveling at it. Hagrid blinked down at her, clearly not understanding a word of what she'd just said. "Internet hook up." Chloe tried to clarify. "For your computer bays. There must hundreds of terminals in…" She trailed off at Hagrid's confused and bewildered gaze. "You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"

"The only net I know of is the one you catch fish in." Hagrid chuckled and started walking again, shaking his head in amusement.

"Not quite what I was talking about, but okay… Clark, you coming?" She turned to see where her best friend had gotten to, only to find him right behind her, looking very uncomfortable. "Clark? What's wrong?" She looked up at him, concern in her gaze.

"I just have the impression that everybody's staring at us." Clark mumbled looking over his shoulder. Chloe looked around, and sure enough, every head in the courtyard was trained directly at the pair of them. Among them was a pair of boys, looking no older than 14 and 15, whispering something as they stared at them, and a group of girls were huddled together, whispering excitedly as they stole glances at them. Chloe grinned and turned back to face the direction they were walking in.

"I think the girls just saw something they liked." She teased and sauntered past Clark, following Hagrid. Clark stopped and glanced back over his shoulder. The whispering group of girls giggled and huddled closer together when he looked at them. Just to their left, a small group of guys, who all looked around 17 years old, were grinning and talking in hushed tones, leering at something behind Clark. He turned, following their gazes, and it took no time at all to spot what they were looking at. Chloe! Or rather, the way her hips swayed as she sauntered on. Clark's jaw clenched, his hackles rearing. That was his best friend they were ogling!!! He turned back to glare at the group of guys, who'd obviously noticed that they'd been caught; and if their hasty scurrying away was any indication, they had obviously not liked something in Clark's glare. Grinning, Clark moved to catch up with Chloe and Hagrid.

"Looks like you're attracting quite a lot of attention yourself." Clark teased in a whisper as he passed Chloe. The blonde girl actually staggered a little and whirled around to look around the courtyard, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"So, Hagrid…" Clark said as he caught up to the big man. "What's Professor Dumbledore like? Is he a strict and stern kind of guy or…"

"Professor Dumbledore? Nah. He's alright. He likes to keep'is house in order, mind, but as long as everyone follows the rules, he's as happy as can be." Hagrid replied just as Chloe caught up with them.

"Meany!" She grumbled under her breath as she swatted Clark's arm and glared at him. Clark chuckled.

They walked through a grand set of double doors, as high as Hagrid 10 times over. They were huge! Clark was sure that an 18 wheeler at full speed couldn't have cracked them; even with a full load! They had stepped into the castle and were standing in a grand entrance hall with a marble staircase running up toward, what Chloe imagined, must be the upper levels. The hall's ceiling was up there… somewhere… waaaaay up there! How many stories was this place anyway?! It had looked high from the outside, but… there was no way they could fit all that ceiling height in here! It wasn't logically possible judging from the outside. A light clinking sound caught their attention and as they looked to the right, they saw four giant hourglasses hanging on the wall. Each of them had a pile of tiny gemstones in it, each a different color. One had blue gems in it, another red, the third green, and the last one contained yellow gems.

"What're those?" Chloe asked, staring in awe at the hourglasses.

"Ey?" Came Hagrid's voice from down the hall. Apparently he hadn't noticed the pair of them stopping to examine the wonder they'd found on the wall. "Oh! Those." Hagrid chuckled and walked towards them. "Those keep record of house points." At Chloe and Clark's confused faces, he smiled. "See, the students of Hogwarts're split up into four houses. While they're here, their house is like their family, see? Each house has its own set o'traits. The reds," he pointed to the hourglass containing what looked to be rubies, "Are Griffindors; brave and noble. The greens," He indicated the gleaming emeralds within the second hourglass, "Are Slitherins, cunning and resourceful. The blues are Ravenclaws, the wise and logical," He indicated the Sapphire filled hourglass, "And the yellows are Hufflepuffs," he pointed to the ember filled hourglass, "tolerant and caring. Each time a student of any house does something that merits reward, their house gets points."

"Ohhhhh." Chloe understood where this was going. "So, if a kid does good work, the whole house gets the reward. Likewise, if a kid breaks the rules, the whole house suffers for it. Right?"

"Exactly." Hagrid beamed. "And the gems fall down or fly up dependin' on whether a house get points or looses'em. Points can come and go at the drop of a hat, sometimes even- oh…" Hagrids face fell a bit as, right before their very eyes, a handful of red rubies took off and shot straight up into the upper part of their hourglass… and didn't return.

"Looks like a Griffindor's been busted for something." Clark chuckled. Hagrid cleared his throat gruffly, looking not at all pleased.

"C'mon. Gots t'get ye' to Professor Dumbledore." He grumbled and stalked away toward the great marble staircase.

"I think Hagrid has favorites." Chloe snickered to Clark in a stage whisper as they followed the big man. Up and up they went. The stairs seemed to go on forever. In reality, it was probably no more than a few floors, but it felt to Chloe like a lot more.

"Jeez! How far up does this place reach?!" She puffed when Hagrid finally leveled off at one of the floors. Clark moved over to the banister and took a peek down, went pale, and moved away from the banister as quickly as was polite to do.

"Very far." He mumbled. Chloe grinned at her friend. It always amazed her that Clark, being as tall as he was, was afraid of heights.

"Come along ye two." Hagrid smiled and headed off down the hall, Chloe and Clark hot on his heels. After walking for a while, and turning many corners, they finally stopped in front of a stone gargoyle who seemed to be frowning at them. Clark blinked and studied the statue more closely. Oh yeah! It was definitely frowning at them!

"Password?!" The gargoyle quipped, making Chloe jump with a little yip. She had definitely not expected that one. Talking statues were not something people in Smallville had to deal with on a day to day basis.

"Acid pops!" Hagrid said clearly. The gargoyle arched an eyebrow at him and then leapt aside, as if it were doing its morning aerobic exercise. The vacant spot where the gargoyle had stood revealed an entrance to a circular stairway… that was slowly rotating upwards in a never-ending spiral. Clark took this in with amazement. Okay… A medieval version of an escalator… What would they think of next?! Hagrid indicated for them to follow him and stepped onto one of the steps. Copying Hagrid, the duo stepped on the spiral staircase, which moved them upward, higher and higher.

"Hagrid? What are Acid pops?" Chloe asked, having found the phrase very intriguing.

"Acid pops?" Hagrid echoed. "They're candy. Sold at Honeydukes sweets shop in Hogsmead. That's the village just down the hill from here. Dombledore likes'em. Can't really understand why." This last bit he murmured into his beard. "A li'l' bitter for my taste."

"Why?" Chloe giggled. "It's not like they're made of real… acid…" Her voice trailed away at the look Hagrid gave her. It was an amused look that seemed to silently ask 'care to make a bet on that?' Chloe winced at the thought of a piece of candy that could literally melt your mouth into pink fleshy goo. "Ugh! I'm never touching candy again!" She shivered in revulsion.

Stepping off the staircase at the top, they came to a sturdy wooden door with a brass knocker in the shape of… some sort of bird. Clark and Chloe weren't sure what kind of a bird it was. It could be an eagle… or a hawk… or a falcon… even a condor...! Hagrid seemed to be oblivious to the presence of the knocker, however and simply opened the door, stooping down, and stepping in. At the sight, Clark swallowed his approaching comment about how maybe they should knock first.

"Professor Dumbledore, sir." came Hagrid's cheerful voice from beyond the door.

"Hagrid." Came an amused soft voice that the duo hadn't heard before. "Yet again you've managed to forgo the use of my fine brass knocker." There was humor in the voice and it had a wise and kind tone to it. "One wonder why I bothered putting it up in the first place."

"Oh… uh…" came Hagrid's voice. He sounded a little embarrassed. "Sorry abou'that, but… I got someit' t'show you, sir." Hagrid sounded excited. "C'mon, you two. Don't be shy." He called out the door to them. Clark and Chloe looked at each other in slight worry, then they stepped through the door; Clark a little in front. It was instinct for him to do so. He was the one with the superpowers, after all. If anything harmful were to happen in there, he could protect Chloe.

The room they entered was a large circular room. It was decked out as an office, with bookcases and portraits of people who looked to be fast asleep lining the walls. There were tables with delicate silvery instruments on them, who whirred and clicked and spouted thin puffs of smoke every now and then. And sitting at the desk in the center of the room, was an older man. Clark recognized him at once. It was the old man from the moving picture they'd found in the box of his grandparents' stuff. Beside him on one side stood the stern looking woman they'd seen in the photograph as well. She had sharp eyes, like a hawk, that looked at Clark over the rim of her square spectacles. At the sight of Clark, the old man smiled. It was a soft, gentle smile that set the young man at ease. Clark relaxed, feeling the calmness of the man's demeanor flow into him. There was no danger here. Of that he was certain.

"Professor Dumbledore, sir." Hagrid beamed. "This is Clark and that's Chloe. They're muggles, sir. I found'em in the forbidden forest." Professor Dumbledore's gaze traveled from Clark to Chloe… and upon meeting her eyes, he slowly rose from his seat, gazing at her intently. The stern woman looked a little startled upon seeing Chloe.

"Oh my…" She whispered softly, her hand going to her chest in surprise. Clark frowned in confusion at this reaction.

"Uh… hi…" Came Chloe's uncertain voice. "Sorry to drop in on you unannounced like this, but… we kind of couldn't help it."

"They came here with this, sir." Hagrid stepped up the desk, holding out the framed photograph that had whisked the duo nearly 6000 miles from their home in under 5 seconds. The old man reached out for the object, taking it gently in both his hands. Clark winced at the sight of the man's blackened right hand. Something awful must have happened to him to leave his hand in this state! The man examined the framed photograph for a moment, a soft smile appearing on his lips behind his long silver beard. He then handed the picture to the woman at his side, who took it and gazed down at it. A spark of gentleness, that hadn't been there before, appeared in her eyes as she gazed at the picture in her hands. This whole scene was getting a little uncomfortable, so Chloe decided to break the tension.

"Yeah… that's how we got here…" She indicated the picture, then winced a little at how lame her words had sounded. Opting for a new take on the subject she ventured on. "So, uh… This is Clark… Clark Kent." She indicated Clark, who was standing beside her, "They grow them big in Kansas." She joked, trying to lighten the mood. The old man smiled warmly at Clark, looking at him over the rim of his half-moon spectacles. Clark had the distinct impression that there was something going through the man's mind as he watched him. It was almost as if the old man was studying him. "And I'm Chloe." The blond girl continued, "Chloe S…"

"Your identity, my dear, was clear the moment you entered this office." The old man's soft friendly voice interrupted her. He turned his kind twinkling gaze to her and smiled. "I am delighted to meet you, and Mr. Kent… Ms. Sullivan." The old man finished gently. Chloe blinked, startled into complete silence; which was something that didn't happen very often in the world of Chloe Sullivan.


End file.
